Epilogue
by Joe's girl
Summary: Takes place the day after season 4. No spoilers included. Bad summary, better one inside. Please read and review! Chapter 6 & 7 up.
1. Chapter 1

_Hi! I thought this up while watching the first couple of episodes of season 4. I'm not sure if it has been shown in all countries yet, but I don't think this will ruin the story line for anyone. Jack no longer works for CTU, he is an aide to the Secretary of Defense. The CTU director is Erin Driscoll._

_I have no idea how the season will end, but I know how I want it to end. So here it is._

_Oh, by the way, all of the usual stuff. I don't own any of the characters but wish I did._

_Please read and review. This is a little different from my other stories. It should only be about four or fivechapters long. So I won't keep you on the hook for months like I did with the others._

Chapter 1

**The Day After: 7:01 am**

It was over and, once again, CTU prevailed. No thanks, of course, to Erin Driscoll. She had been a bitch on wheels with an ego the size of Montana all day. He sat back in his chair and put his head back. He couldn't help but smile. He had been away from CTU for 18 months, but it was like he never left. He hadn't given the place much thought in those 18 months; there were too many other things to think about. His life had changed and CTU wasn't a part of it any more. There was no point in spending time worrying about CTU. It was there before he got there and it would be there long after he was gone. He was no more indispensable than anyone else that ever worked there. Hell, George was dead, Ryan was dead; any number of agents that he worked with over the years were dead, but CTU went on without missing a beat. He had to admit, there were occasional moments late at night when memories of CTU flooded his brain. They were rarely happy memories, though and he did his damnedest to squash them. Once in a while he thought about sitting in his office high above the bullpen and looking down on his kingdom. He sighed; this place had practically killed him. He had worked countless hours and invested his entire self into CTU and look where it had gotten him. But if he was going to be truthful with himself, he would have to admit that he loved this place. After all that had happened here, he still loved it.

He didn't usually pat himself on the back; that wasn't his personality, but he knew he had done a stellar job today. He knew that he saved lives. He knew that without his help, things would have ended differently. He wondered if they would tell the press that. He wondered if the press would in turn report his actions today with the same fervor that they had crucified him for his actions on the day of the bioterrorist attack. Unlikely, he thought, but it didn't matter. In his mind he knew what he had done and in many ways he was prouder of himself today than any other day of his life.

When he got up yesterday morning, he had no idea that he would end up doing his old job. If someone had told him that he would be working at CTU when the sun rose this morning he would have asked them what they were smoking. But the second he walked through the door he felt the adrenaline rush. He couldn't wait to get to work. He loved directing people, shouting out orders and having people respond to him. He went between computer screen, headphones in place, watching the satellite feeds and directing the response. The only difference was that this time he was doing it while shackled to the desk. As a federal prisoner, they couldn't take the chance that he might use this opportunity to bolt. They also couldn't take the chance that Jack might help him do it.

He had been awake for 25 hours now, since 6 o'clock yesterday morning when the lights came on and the wake up buzzer sounded in his cell block. He rolled out of his bunk, washed up and shaved in the basin in the corner of his cell next to the toilet and dressed in the familiar blue jeans and denim work shirt with his number, AL256731, stenciled across the back. He pulled on white socks and work boots and then exited his cell and stood in line for roll call. He said "good morning" to the guys in the nearby cells. These guys weren't exactly violent criminals. Most of them had committed white collar crimes: securities fraud, internet violations and similar computer and money oriented crimes. They had an average age of 45 years and were generally intelligent and well educated. Most had sentences of less than ten years and most were eligible for parole long before that. Tony had already watched several come and go. Next it was off to breakfast and then to his job in the prison library. The library job was a pretty cushy one as prison jobs go. He started out in the kitchen just like all other new prisoners and had to wait for something else to open up. Once it did, he could bid on that job just like any other prisoner. He bid on the library job a couple of months after he got there and was given the job over some other longer term prisoners because of his extensive computer experience. The work was easy and it gave him a chance to be the first to read new books as they came in. It also gave him a chance to make a good impression on the warden.

Just a few weeks after he started working in the library, he discovered a hole in the computer network that could allow for a breach of security. A number of the inmates were hackers and if they discovered this they could easily exploit it and set up all kinds of illegal businesses on the internet. He brought it to the attention of the warden and was given special permission to correct the problem. Shortly after that the warden started bringing other computer concerns to him and asked him to look at the network security and the computer systems that controlled some of the physical security of the facility. Some of the other inmates considered Tony a "suck up" but he ignored them. He wasn't here to make friends. If this was what it took to make a good impression and get a recommendation when the parole board looked at his case, he was willing to do it.

Tony opened the library as usual at 8:30 yesterday and turned on all of the computers. He did a quick internet search for the morning news. That was when he learned that a terrorist bomb had derailed a commuter train. He watched the story with interest, checking every few minutes to see if any new information was available. Within the hour he learned that the Secretary of Defense had been kidnapped along with his daughter. Several Secret Service agents had been killed. Didn't Jack work for the Secretary of Defense now? He wondered if Jack was alright.

It was around 11 o'clock when the corrections officer in the library got a call from his superior.

"Almeida," he said, "the warden wants to see you in his office now." The officer knew that Tony was one of the few inmates who didn't mind trips to the warden's office. Usually a call from the warden meant that you were in trouble, but in Tony's case it probably meant that the warden needed help.

He reached the warden's office and knocked on his door. The secretary called for him to come in. Tony entered the room. It was a very basic office. The secretary had a small reception area with dozens of file drawers behind her. The door that led to the warden's office was off to the right.

"Hi, Tony," The secretary, a woman not much younger than Tony's mother, said as she looked up from her computer screen. She was one of the few prison employees that used his first name. "Warden Holmes is waiting for you. Go ahead in."

"Thanks, Miss Dillon," He answered.

Tony rapped lightly on the warden's door then entered as he had been instructed. The warden was on the phone but motioned for Tony to come in and take a seat.

"Let me cut to the chase here, Almeida," he said as he hung up the phone. "Since you work in the library I suspect that you already know that there has been a terrorist attack and the Secretary of Defense has been kidnapped."

"Yes sir. I know that."

"I got a call from CTU. They are asking to borrow you to help run a tactical unit."

"They want me to run a tactical unit?" Tony asked in disbelief.

"Apparently they are short handed and this is your area of expertise. I told them I was willing to arrange it if you agreed."

"If I agreed to do it would I get special consideration?"

"Special consideration?"

"A reduced sentence or guaranteed parole, something like that. I'm willing to negotiate."

"I have no authority to negotiate, Almeida. You can say 'yes' or 'no'. That's your choice. I will tell you that cooperating with CTU will look good when you come up for parole. Refusing won't effect you either way, not in the short term or in the future when the parole board looks at your record. This is simply a chance to help your country, Almeida and to get out of here for a few hours."

Tony looked at the floor for a few minutes while he thought. His first instinct was to say 'no' just to spite them. "Who contacted you, Warden? Who is asking for my help?"

"Let me find his name here," Holmes put on his glasses and shuffled some papers on his cluttered desk. "Here it is. His name is Jack Bauer."

"Jack Bauer? I find it hard to believe that an aide to the Secretary of Defense has the authority to pull me out of a federal prison even in the event of a terrorist attack. Who authorized this request, Sir?"

"Mr. Bauer has authorization from the President of the United States. I know your computer skills are impressive, but if the President is willing to authorize a furlough from a federal penitentiary, you are obviously one of the best in your field."

This type of request was unprecedented and Tony knew it. Whatever was happening was big and obviously Jack was right in the thick of it. He wasn't sure he wanted to help CTU after the way he and Michelle were treated but he knew that he wanted to help Jack.

"The answer is 'yes'. Jack Bauer's my friend and if he's calling me in, then I'm willing to do it."

CTU sent a helicopter to pick him up. Tony remembered his last helicopter trip when he went to the mall to pick up Kyle Singer. He ended up getting shot just minutes later. The flight was less than a half hour. They landed on the CTU helipad and Tony was escorted into the building by a young security guard that he had never met before. As he looked around he hoped to see familiar faces but found that there were few people left that he knew. Most of the employees that were loyal to him and to Jack had transferred to other departments or quit, angry over the way the two of them had been treated and unhappy that Erin Driscoll had been named Director.

His eyes went instinctively to his upstairs office and then to Michelle's work station. He almost expected to see her there but he knew she didn't work here any more. She quit right after Tony was arrested.

The security guard led Tony up to Erin Driscoll's office; his old office. Erin motioned for him to come in. Erin hadn't changed much. Tony knew her from when she worked at Division. She was tough as nails and without personality then and he could see that she hadn't evolved much since he last saw her.

"Tony," she said tersely. "Let's get this straight. I don't want you here and I'm not happy that you've been brought in, but Jack Bauer seems to have a direct line to the President and Jack wants you here. Consequently, I've been overruled. Here are the ground rules. I've had a workstation set up for you. Of course, you'll be shackled to the desk. I don't need you hatching some sophomoric escape plan. You will perform only the tasks I give to you and if I catch you answering to anyone else you'll find your ass back in prison so fast you won't know what hit you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Erin, if you're trying to scare me, I'm way beyond that point in my life. You've already told me that I'm here because Jack Bauer wants me here and that the President has authorized it. I'm not answering to you, I'm answering to Jack. If you send me back to prison you might as well write your resignation letter at the same time because your ass will be fired before mine is back in prison."

Tony settled in at a workstation near Chloe. He saw a few people that he knew and they all approached timidly to say 'hello'. The conversations were brief and awkward; no one quite knew what to say to him. Mercifully, everyone was too busy to make small talk anyway so they returned quickly to their stations and continued to work. Jack called in and got Tony started on some satellite surveillance and coordination of roadblocks with local authorities.

Tony was deep in thought and looking down at the computer screen while he talked to LAPD. He heard a pair of high heels clicking in a familiar cadence on the tile floor. He drew a quick breath and looked up. There she stood, she was looking the other way, but he recognized the curve of her body, her long slender legs, her thick brown curls.

"Can I help you?" A CTU staffer asked her.

"Hi, I'm Michelle Dessler. I'm an analyst on loan from the FBI. I guess I need to see Erin Driscoll."

"Miss Driscoll's office is…"

"I know where it is," Michelle cut him off, her tone biting. "It used to be my husband's office." She stepped toward the stairs to Erin's office without waiting for the staffer to respond.

Tony watched her go. She trotted gracefully up the stairs; her feet barely touching each step, her loose curls bouncing around her face. "I didn't know you were bringing Michelle in," he commented to Chloe.

"I didn't know either," Chloe told him. "Is this going to be awkward for you two? I heard you got a divorce. That was pretty crumby of her to divorce you after you went to prison for saving her life."

Chloe's social skills haven't improved any in the last 18 months, Tony thought. "She didn't ask for the divorce, Chloe, I did. Do you every talk to her?"

"No, she avoids this place like the plague. We've needed to borrow an FBI analyst in the past and we asked for her but she always refused. This time I guess they didn't give her the chance to refuse."

Tony glanced up toward Erin's office. He still couldn't see Michelle's face but didn't have to see it to know that it was as beautiful as ever. He forced himself to look at the computer screen and concentrate on the satellite images in front of him.

It was a couple of minutes before Michelle started down the stairs. She turned to the left and went to the IT office without ever looking toward the out of the way desk where Tony was sitting. Tony settled back into the work at hand. He glanced up as often as possible hoping to catch sight of Michelle.

A couple of hours had passed and Tony had his back turned looking at the monitor on the desk behind him when Michelle finally came out from IT. She was discussing a report with one of the intelligence specialists when Chloe, who was talking to Jack on a phone a couple of desks away from Tony, called out to him. "Tony, pick up line three. Jack needs to talk to you."

Without looking up, Tony replied, "Got it, Chloe." He picked up the phone. "Jack, I need to download some schematics to your system. I've also got some satellite images you'll be interested in."

Michelle let out a startled gasp when she heard his voice.

"Are you okay?" Asked the intelligence officer she was working with.

Michelle stared blankly at Tony for a few seconds without hearing the man speaking to her.

"Ms. Dessler, are you okay?" He repeated.

"I'm…I'm fine," she responded as she watched Tony hang up the phone. "Give me a second, please." Michelle stepped toward Tony's desk. "Tony?"

He turned at the sound of her voice. "Michelle," he said softly. "I see you got called in, too."

"Yeah, I did. I didn't know you were here."

"I saw you when you came in but you didn't see me. I saw you going toward IT, but I'm not exactly at liberty to walk around and visit people," he said indicating the shackle on his leg.

"Oh God! Why do they have to do that?" She turned her head as if unable to look and blinked away tears.

"It's standard operating procedure. You know that, Michelle. They can't take a chance that I might escape. I would do the same thing if I were in Erin's position."

"I know, but it's wrong. If they want you to help them, then they should commute your sentence."

"I wouldn't have come in if anyone other than Jack had asked." They were both silent for a moment. "So, I heard you say you're working for the FBI."

"Yeah, computer crimes division."

"That's a good position for you."

Michelle shrugged. "I guess. I don't think about it much. It's a job."

"Ms. Dessler," a voice called.

"I've gotta go. I'll talk to you later," Michelle told him trying to smile.

"Right," Tony responded.

It was hours later when Michelle brought a report out to Tony. The mood at that point was tense, not just between them but for everyone. They spoke in business-like terms as Michelle pointed out the important areas in the report to Tony. As she handed it over to him their hands touched lightly. Tony felt as if an electrical current had run from his hand to his heart. He looked into her eyes and knew she felt the same way. Hours later when the crisis was finally over, Tony realized that he hadn't seen Michelle again. He suspected that she was avoiding him and that was okay, he understood.

The crisis was finally over. Several people came over to thank Tony for all of his help and to tell him that they couldn't have done it without him. Tony was gratified to know the part he had played but the grim reality that he was on his way back to prison settled over him like a blanket.

"Mr. Almeida," said Paul Reese, a long time CTU security guard who had worked under Tony while he was CTU director. "I'm sorry, sir, but I have to take you to holding room two. It looks like it might be a couple of hours before we have anyone free to take you back to… I'm sorry, sir."

"Don't apologize, Paul. You're just doing your job. I knew this little taste of freedom wasn't going to last very long, but I enjoyed it while it did."

"It seems wrong, sir," Paul told him as he handcuffed him and then removed the shackle from his ankle to walk to the holding room. "You were a hero today. I shouldn't be putting you in handcuffs."

"Look, Paul, I did what I did 18 months ago and I've never denied it and I'm not sorry I did it. I'm paying the price for it. It's me who has to live with that, not you." Tony paused for a second when they reached the holding room for Paul to remove the handcuffs. "Hey, any chance you can get me some coffee from that coffee bar next door. The coffee in the joint sucks. I'd love a good cup of coffee."

"You got it, sir," Paul said smiling. "How do you take it?"

"Very large and very black," Tony told him, his sense of humor still intact.

"Give me a few minutes. I'll be right back."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**7:20am**

Tony sat in the holding room. This was a familiar place. This was where they held him 18 months ago when he was first charged with treason for trying to exchange Jane Saunders for Michelle. This was where they held him three years before that when he drugged Chappelle and then helped Jack against Chappelle's direct orders. This was where he first held Michelle's hand. If he closed his eyes, he could remember exactly where they were positioned in the room, how they leaned against the table, their hands out of view of the security camera. He remembered how soft her hand was and how sweet she smelled despite the fact that they had both been at CTU almost 24 straight hours at that point and had lived through the building being bombed. He stood up and walked around the room. He couldn't think about that any more. That was part of his old life; his other life.

He had a new life now: twenty years of prison. Actually, if you wanted to get technical about it, he only had eighteen years and eight months left of prison. And, if he was lucky enough to get parole on his first try, he only had twelve years and eight months. The twenty year sentence with the possibility of parole in fourteen years had been the result of a plea bargain. The federal prosecutor offered the plea bargain to Tony just days after he was arrested. Tony's first instinct was to reject it. Although he admitted his guilt, he was sure that a jury wouldn't convict him. So he met with an attorney and started building a defense but it didn't take either of them very long to figure out that there was little defense for what Tony did. No jury was going to acquit him and the sentencing recommendation for treason was life without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. Compared to either of those possibilities, the twenty years in a minimum security facility about a hundred miles north of LA seemed like a walk in the park. Not only that, but it saved him from sitting in the federal detention center in LA for the next year waiting for his trial. He could spend that same year in minimum security and the time would be put toward his sentence. It also saved his aging parents and Michelle from a long trial. Finally, it would keep Michelle from using all of their savings and losing their house to pay legal fees. One way or the other he was going to prison for a long time, he might as well get it started as soon as possible. So Tony decided to accept the plea agreement.

When he decided to accept the plea agreement, Tony made another decision as well. Deciding to accept the plea was hard, but this decision was like none he had ever made. He lay awake nights thinking it over until he finally knew that it was the right thing to do. He made all of the arrangements and then waited for Michelle to arrive for her next scheduled visit.

Visits at the minimum security facility were more casual than at higher security prisons. Visitors were welcome at any time from noon until five and a prisoner could have up to two visitors at a time. Although the visitor had to schedule the visit ahead of time and the visit could only last one hour, there was no limit to the number of visits a prisoner could have each month. Visits took place in a room where prisoners met with their visitors face to face, no glass, no phones. There were several prisoners and their visitors in the room at the same time and corrections officers supervised the visits, so there wasn't much privacy, but hugs and brief kisses were allowed. Michelle had already told Tony to expect her every Tuesday. When she arrived that Tuesday, instead of being directed into the visitation room, she was escorted into a private room where prisoners and their family members could meet with their lawyers and plan for appeals or parole hearings. She was surprised to see Tony and his attorney, Todd Maver sitting around a table with paperwork spread across it.

"Hi Sweetheart," Tony said as he rose to greet her.

"Hey," she said as she kissed him gently. "What's going on? Todd if I had known you were going to be here we could have driven up together."

Todd looked away not sure what to say. He knew this was going to be uncomfortable for him but he couldn't leave. This was scheduled as an attorney/client meeting so he had to be present in the room at all times.

"I asked Todd to come, Michelle," Tony told her. "He drew up some legal documents for me."

"What kind of documents?" Michelle asked clearly not sure of what was going on.

Tony turned his back to her and walked a few steps away. "Divorce papers."

"Divorce papers! Why would you ask Todd to draw up divorce papers?"

"Because it's what's best for you, Michelle. You need to move on and start a new life. There is no point in you sitting around and waiting for me to come home because it's going to be a long time before that happens."

"It's my choice if I want to wait, Tony, not yours," she responded her voice rising in anger.

"Michelle, you say that now but in a couple of years things are going to look different. I want you to make the move now; start over," his voice was gentle and soft. "I want you find someone to love. I want you to marry him and have children. I know how much you want children and if I have one regret, Baby, it's that we didn't take the time to have a family. Let someone else give you what I can't."

Michelle was crying openly now. "Oh, Tony, no! I don't want a divorce. I won't sign the papers. I married you for better or for worse and I meant that. You'll be paroled in fourteen years. I can wait that long."

"Michelle, there is no guarantee that I'll be granted parole in fourteen years. The truth is that I probably won't get it on the first try. Even if I do, in fourteen years you're too old to have a baby and I want you to have that chance."

"I don't need a baby, Tony. I need you. I don't care if I have a baby as long as I have you," she said her voice getting louder and louder.

"But you don't have me, Michelle, the government does. And they intend to keep me for the next twenty years!" He shouted back at her.

"It could be as little as fourteen, Sweetheart," she reminded him optimistically.

"Michelle, traitors don't get paroled. That was a carrot to dangle in front of me. Traitors get executed or they spend the rest of their lives in prison. I took the plea agreement knowing that twenty years was the best I could hope for, not because I thought that I would get paroled."

"I'm not signing those papers, Tony and you can't force me," she said bordering on hysterical.

Tony ignored her and reached for the papers. His voice was calmer now. "Todd drew the papers up so that everything we held jointly is yours: house, cars, stocks, bank accounts, everything. There is an IRA in my name that I kept. I figure I'll be out of here before I reach retirement age, so I asked him to leave that in my name. I hope that's okay with you."

Michelle stared at the paper in disbelief. Tony's signature was written meticulously at the bottom. "Tony this is ridiculous! I'm not signing anything. I don't want a divorce."

Tony stepped close to Michelle. She was looking down so he lifted her chin so she was looking directly at him. "Sweetheart, do this as a favor to me. I've had everything taken away from me at this point and I am asking you for this one favor. Sign the papers and walk out of here and don't come back. I love you too much to see you once a week for an hour. I love you too much to have you waste your life waiting for me when you should be married to someone who is beside you and raising a family with you. My life is ruined; I don't want to be responsible for ruining yours, too."

Michelle's pain and sadness turned quickly to anger. She was angry at Tony for making her do this. She was angry that this was how their perfect marriage and all their plans for a life together were turning out. Unable to control that anger, Michelle grabbed the divorce papers from Tony and slapped them down on the table. She snatched up the fountain pen that sat on the table in front of Todd. She uncapped the pen and scribbled her signature across the bottom of the page. It was barely legible, but it would do. Then she pulled her wedding ring from her finger and threw it at Tony. He tried to catch it but it bounced off of his chest, fell to the floor. He crouched to retrieve it as it rolled across the linoleum. He picked it up and closed it in his hand as Michelle, without seeing him, ran to the door.

She pushed open the small privacy screen several inches from the top. "Officer! Officer!" She called. "Let me out, please. I need to go."

The officer opened the door and Michelle rushed past him nearly knocking him over in her haste. Tony stood at the door and watched her go, tears flowing freely down his face.

"Are you two finished?" He asked Tony and Todd.

They exchanged glances. "I have everything I need, Tony. I'll file these tomorrow," Todd said indicating the divorce papers that he had placed inside a portfolio. "I'll be in touch." He thanked the officer and strode out of the room.

"Okay, Almeida," the officer said. "You need to get back to your cell block. It's almost time for chow." Tony nodded and walked sullenly back to his cell.

Each of the next four Mondays Tony received notification that Michelle Almeida would be in the visitor's room at 4 o'clock on Tuesday. And each Tuesday Tony sat in his cell and watched the clock as 4 o'clock came and went. He wondered how long she waited before she went back home. He wondered how many more weeks she would make the trip before she realized that he wasn't going to see her. After the second week the officer in charge of his cell block called him into his office to talk to him.

"Tony, most guys would kill for a visitor. Some don't get two visitors a year, let alone two in two weeks."

It was true. Without Michelle visiting, there was no one else. His parents lived in Chicago and they certainly couldn't afford to make trips to LA just to see him. His sister traveled a lot for work and she promised that anytime she was near LA she would stop and see him, but that probably would only be once or twice a year. His brother lived on the east coast so there was little chance that he would come all the way to California just to see Tony for an hour in a crowded visitation room. Prison was going to be lonely, he was just going to have to get used to that.

"Why don't you see her when she comes in next week?"

"No," Tony told him. "It's better this way."

Several months later Tony got the official letter saying that the State of California had dissolved their marriage. Tony slipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out Michelle's ring to look at it. The only jewelry allowed in the prison were a wedding ring and a watch so he kept her ring hidden, usually wrapped in a napkin, in his pocket. He never took his wedding ring off and he kept hers with him all of the time, in his pocket during the day and on his pinky when he slept. He was careful to make sure that no one knew that he had Michelle's ring because he knew that it would be confiscated.

Tony's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a pass card swiping through the card reader outside. The door opened and Paul entered.

"Here you go, sir," he said setting an extra large Styrofoam cup in front of Tony. Tony lifted the lid and inhaled the rich aroma. "And I brought you some reading material. It looks like you are going to be stuck in here for the next four hours or so. Everybody has to be debriefed so there isn't anyone free to drive you back."

"Gee, what a pity," Tony said sarcastically as he looked at the newspapers and magazine Paul set on the table: the LA Times and the Wall Street Journal and a copy of the latest Sports Illustrated. "Wow!" he said as he leafed through the magazine. His favorite baseball team, the Chicago Cubs was pictured on the front cover with the words "On Top of the World" above the picture. "It figures that I'd wait a lifetime to see the Cubs win the World Series and when they finally did it I'm in prison. Oh well, at least I had plenty of time on my hands to watch all of the games," He said trying to put a positive spin on it.

"Here," Paul said as if an after thought. "I've got something else." He handed Tony a white paper bag from the coffee shop; a grease stain was forming on the bottom. "I thought you might be hungry and I know you used to like these sandwiches."

A smile spread across Tony's face. "You mean the steak and fried egg with sautéed onions and peppers?"

"On a sesame seed bagel," Paul told him smiling back.

"Paul, I love you. If you were cuter, I'd kiss you."

"That's okay, sir. I'll pass on that one," Paul replied still smiling. "I've gotta go. It's been good seeing you again, sir."

"You, too. By the way, stop calling me 'sir.' I don't exactly out rank you any more."

"Force of habit, sir," Paul told him as he closed the door behind him.

Tony opened the sandwich and bit into it. He groaned out loud. "God, that's good," he said to the empty room. He finished the sandwich savoring every bite then settled back with his coffee and magazine. He flipped through some pages and looked at the pictures until he found the article that he wanted to read first. He was about half way through the article when he heard another key card in the reader outside the door.

"Damn," he said quietly afraid that they had already found someone free to take him back to prison.

The door opened and Michelle stepped inside.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hi Everybody and thanks for the reivews. You guys are great. Some of you have reviewed almost every chapter I have ever written. I can't believe how loyal you are! I noticed some new names among the reviews, too. So, to you new reviewers, thanks for joining in. I really appreciate all of you and your reviews really encourage me to keep writing._

Chapter 3

**8:45am**

"Michelle," Tony said pushing back his chair and standing.

"Hi, Tony," She said softly. "I just finished debriefing and I wanted to see you before I left."

"Umm… I'm glad you stopped by," He said haltingly. "You… you look great, Michelle. It looks like you've been working out."

"Yeah, I teach a karate class at the gym two nights a week. It keeps me in shape and I earn a little spending money," she whispered in response. There was an awkward pause. Neither of them knew what to say next.

"Are you still living on Overbrook Drive?" He was referring to the house they bought together just before they got married.

"Uh…no, I couldn't keep up the payments on my salary. Besides, it was too big for just me. And Wrigley, of course." Wrigley was Tony's cat. He found the stray orange tabby cat before he and Michelle started dating and named her after Wrigley Field, the baseball stadium where the Chicago Cubs play. Michelle had always tolerated Wrigley but wasn't really a cat person.

"You still have Wrigley?" He asked surprised.

"Yeah, she keeps me company. We have a little condo now over on Linwood."

"With what we had in savings I thought you would be able to keep the house."

"Half of that belonged to you, Tony. I withdrew it and sent it to your parents. I knew they could use the money and if they didn't, they could keep it in savings for you. You'll need that money some day."

"Thanks, Michelle. My parents never told me that."

"I asked them not to," Michelle told him.

"It was nice of you to think of my parents but I meant for you to have that money. That's why I had Todd draw up the divorce papers the way he did."

"I know, but I didn't feel right about it."

The two fell silent.

"Do you talk to your parents often?" She asked him.

"Every few weeks. They're okay. Dad's been having more chest pain lately. The doctor is doing more testing, but they think they'll have to operate."

"I'm sorry to hear that. When you talk to them, give them my best."

"I'll do that. They'll appreciate that, Michelle. They always liked you."

"Are you doing okay, Tony?" Michelle asked quietly.

Tony nodded and remained silent for a moment. "I get by. It's a day to day thing. If you think of it in terms of getting through each day you can tolerate it. If you think of it in terms of twenty years, you'll drive yourself crazy. I'm catching up on my reading."

"I'd like to come visit you sometime, but I want to know that you'll see me. I could bring you some books."

"No, Michelle. I told you before, I want you to live your life. I don't want you to waste it on me."

Michelle nodded. "If that's the way you want it, Tony, I'll honor your request. But if you ever want to see me, just let me know. Contact Todd, he knows how to get in touch with me."

"Okay."

"I guess I better go," She said awkwardly.

"Ya, you should get something to eat and get some rest."

"You know me; I can never sleep during the day no matter how tired I am."

"Take care of yourself, Michelle," Tony told her. He wanted to cross the room and take her in his arms. He wanted to kiss her and nuzzle her neck and bury his face in her thick brown curls but instead he stood firm and tried to smile at her.

"You, too," she said. They stood staring at each other for a few seconds before Michelle finally turned and left.

Tony watched as the door closed behind her. He reached in his pocket to touch their wedding rings. He wrapped the rings together in a napkin before he left the prison. He decided to take his off before coming to CTU. He didn't want to have to answer any questions if someone he knew noticed that he was still wearing his wedding ring. Without removing the napkin from his pocket, he opened it enough to touch the platinum bands. He remembered the day he slipped the ring on her finger. Her hand was so soft, just like it had been when he brushed against it a few hours ago.

Tony sat back down suddenly exhausted. He tried to read but found that he was too distracted. He never thought he would feel this way but at the moment he was ready to go back to prison. Prison was lonely and largely devoid of happiness, but CTU was full of memories. He needed to get away. At least in prison he didn't see Michelle everywhere he looked. She wasn't in his cell like she was in this holding room. Her scent didn't fill the air and the click of her heels didn't echo on the tile floor.

As if in answer to his silent prayer, he heard a card key swipe through the reader outside the door. He stood and picked up his newspapers and magazine and stepped toward the door as it opened. He held his hands in front of him ready for the security guard to place him in handcuffs.

"Mr. Almeida, I have instructions to take you to Ms. Driscoll's office," the security guard told him.

"Why? I don't think I need to be debriefed."

"I don't know, sir. I'm just following orders." He held the door open for Tony to exit.

"Don't you need to cuff me? I'm a federal prisoner."

"Yes, sir. I know that but I was told that it wasn't necessary."

Tony followed the security guard out of the holding cell and toward Erin's loft office. As he entered the office he saw Jack and Brad Hammond as well as Erin Driscoll standing near Erin's desk. Jack stood and came forward to greet him. Jack generally didn't smile much and when he did it was subdued, but at the moment he was smiling broadly.

"Tony," he said as he stepped toward him and the two shook hands.

"Jack," Tony responded. "You were incredible today. I thought we were going to lose you at least twice and you pulled it out. You've still got the old form."

"I wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for you, Tony. That's why I wanted you here today. Your performance was outstanding and I want you to know that it didn't go unnoticed." Jack picked up several papers from the edge of Erin's desk and handed them to Tony. "I talked to the President earlier and he just faxed this to me. The originals will arrive tomorrow by courier service, but the faxed copy is legally binding in the interim."

"What is it? Some kind of commendation," Tony asked as he took the papers.

"Read it," Jack told him.

Tony read the document then looked up, first at Jack and then panned over toward Brad and Erin. "I must be reading this wrong. This looks like a pardon."

"That's right, Tony. It's an unconditional pardon from the President of the United States. Congratulations, Tony. You're a free man," Jack said unable to control his smile.

Driscoll and Hammond both added their congratulations pleasantly but less enthusiastically than Jack.

Tony stepped backward and dropped into the nearest chair. "This is a joke, right? This can't be happening."

"It's not a joke, Tony. It's real. You're free as of right now. You and your attorney have to take care of some paperwork over the next couple of days, but for all intents and purposes, you are free."

Tony sat in stunned silence. "I don't know what to say. Jack, I know you played a big part in this. I can't even begin to thank you. I was hoping to use today as leverage to negotiate a reduced sentence or maybe early parole, but I never dreamed of a pardon. Thank you, Jack."

"I didn't really do anything, Tony," Jack said trying to downplay his own role. "Your actions today spoke for themselves. When the President got the report he made the decision to grant the pardon." Jack pulled a cell phone from the holder on his belt. "Why don't you call Michelle?"

"Ummm…Michelle and I aren't together anymore, Jack," Tony said with his head angled down.

"I'm sorry, Tony. I didn't know. Why don't you call your parents?"

Tony nodded and dialed their Chicago number. He spoke with his parents who, as he expected, burst into joyful tears. Tony was their youngest and his imprisonment had broken her heart.

The conversation ended and he handed the phone back to Jack. "Why don't we go out for a celebratory lunch?" Jack suggested.

"Not with me dressed like this!" Tony said indicating the prison denims with his number stenciled on his back.

"Maybe we can find you some clothes. Everybody around here keeps extras in their locker. I'm sure somebody here has an extra set that would fit," Jack said.

"Actually," Erin interjected. "When security cleaned out your office, Tony, all of your personal effects including a couple changes of clothes were put in a box. We called Michelle, but she never picked it up. I'm sure the box is still back in the security office. The older guards weren't willing to dispose of your things." Erin called the security office and as she thought the box remained in one of the older guards lockers.

While he waited for security to bring the box to him, he called Todd Maver to bring him up to date on the developments. A call to the prison verified that the warden had received the papers from the President. They would arrange to have his cell cleaned out and Tony could pick up his belongings the next day when he and Todd came to complete the paperwork. By the time the phone calls were complete, Paul brought the box of his personal items to Driscoll's office. Among pictures from his desk and commendations that had hung on his wall and his cubs mug, he found a shaving kit, a pair of charcoal tweed pants, a black knit pullover and a black wool sport coat along with socks and shoes. Tony put everything into a gym bag that was also in the box and went to the locker room to wash up and change clothes.

It felt strange to put on clothes that weren't denim and dress shoes. He was amazed at how good it felt and without giving it another thought he took all of his prison clothes and threw them into the trash. He left the locker room feeling like a new person but he also knew that reentering society at large was not going to be as easy as changing clothes.

Tony and Jack went to lunch at a four-star restaurant. Jack ordered a bottle of good red wine to go with their steaks. They talked all through lunch discussing all that had happened since they last saw each other. Jack eventually turned the conversation to Michelle.

"I don't want to get too personal, Tony, but what happened between you and Michelle?"

"Nothing happened," Tony told him. "I just didn't want her to be tied to me for twenty years. I thought it was best if she had her freedom."

"Is that what she wanted?"

"No, but I told her that it was a favor to me so she signed the divorce papers."

"Have you seen her since then?" Jack asked.

"Not until today."

"How did that go?"

"A little awkward, but overall, it was okay."

"Tony, she's going to hear about the pardon tomorrow on the news. Don't you think you should tell her first? You know the news media is going to be all over her once this story breaks."

"I'll have my lawyer call her," Tony said.

"You guys were married, Tony. Don't you think you owe her the courtesy of telling her yourself?" Jack asked.

"She moved and I don't have a phone number or an address for her."

"Oh, come on, Tony! You can come up with a better excuse than that. She works for the FBI and I have enough contacts that we can get her address and phone number." Jack pulled out his phone and made a single phone call. By the time he hung up he had Michelle's new address and phone number written down on a cocktail napkin. He handed his phone and the napkin to Tony. "Call her."

Tony took the napkin but refused the phone. "I'll call her later tonight."

"What are you afraid of, Tony?"

"Jack, when I forced her to sign the divorce papers I told her that I wanted her to find someone else. It's been over a year. She could be involved in a new relationship. So what do I do if I call her and another man answers?"

"You say 'Could I speak with Michelle, please.' And then you tell her that you were pardoned. Tony, it's better to do that than have her hear it on the news tomorrow morning when she's lying in bed next to him. Besides, you're making an assumption that she has a new relationship. I think there's a good chance that she doesn't"

"I guess you're right. I'll call her tonight, I promise."

They finished their meal and the bottle of wine. Tony hadn't had alcohol in a year and a half so the wine made him feel a little light headed when he stood up. Jack smiled when he noticed that Tony put his hand on the table to steady himself. The two then went to the parking lot, climbed into the car and drove away.

They were on their way to Todd Maver's office. Tony and Todd had a few details to work out and then Todd was going to drop Tony off at a hotel for the night. They would meet again in the morning and drive to the prison together to officially sign all of the necessary papers. Jack drove while Tony silently stared out the window.

We're not too far from Linwood Avenue, are we?" He asked Jack.

"No, it's just a couple of blocks." Jack knew that 2745Linwood Avenue was Michelle's new address.

"Let's drive past. I want to see where she lives."

Jack turned at the next intersection, drove a couple of blocks then turned again. There was a large building on the left. Jack pulled up to the curb in front. Tony looked at the building, his eyes moving up and down and then back and forth across the front as if in hopes of seeing her.

"Why don't you go knock on her door?" Jack suggested. "You've got nothing to lose, Tony."

Tony closed his eyes for a second. His better judgment was gone and the slight buzz from the alcohol was talking. "I think I will," he said as he reached for the door handle.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hi and thanks again to all of my reviewers! I'm really surprised at how many reviews I've gotten for this story. I'm having fun writing it, but I really don't think it is as good as my other stories. It just seems too predictable to me, but I'm glad you guys are staying with me. _

_Here's Chapter 4. There should only be one more chapter after this._

Chapter 4

**1:57pm**

Michelle sat at her kitchen table, feet propped up on the chair across from her, the empty chair where Tony used to sit. Wrigley jumped up on the chair and rubbed her furry orange head against Michelle's bare toes. Unconsciously Michelle wiggled her toes back and forth to scratch Wrig's ears. She had just finished eating lunch, some kind of cold cut sub that she bought on the way home from CTU. She was starving and had wolfed it down along with a Diet Coke. She had so much on her mind that she hadn't paid much attention to what she was eating or whether it was good or not. She was tired but knew she would not be able to sleep. Again, there was too much on her mind.

As if Tony wasn't on her mind 24 hours a day anyway, seeing him today made it worse. She couldn't get the memory of his beautiful brown eyes out of her mind. His eyes had shone while he was running the tactical unit just like they had when he worked at CTU. Those same eyes were so sad when she saw him a few hours later in the holding room. He tried to hide it, but going back to prison after those hours of freedom was torture. Why did Jack do that to him? Before yesterday Tony was settled in at the prison. Why did Jack disturb his routine and let him taste freedom only to take it away again? Damn you, Jack! She knew why de did it. He did it because Tony was the best at what he did and yesterday nothing but the best would do.

A knock at her door brought her back to reality and sent Wrigley skittering off seeking a safe hiding place.

"Oh, Wrigley!" Michelle said. "The term 'fraidy cat' was coined just for you!"

Like most cats, Wrigley only felt safe around people she knew and noises at the door usually meant strangers.

"It's probably just Mrs. Wheatley. You know her."

Mrs. Wheatley was Michelle's elderly, reclusive neighbor. She rarely left her condo and was nervous and afraid of everything including her own shadow. Michelle often picked up groceries for her and occasionally took her to doctor's appointment. In return she brought Michelle home cooked meals a couple of times a week.

Mrs. Wheatley didn't watch the news much, it depressed her, so she had never seen Michelle on the news from when Tony was arrested and pictures of both of them graced the evening news and every newspaper headline for days on end. She couldn't understand why her pleasant new neighbor always seemed so sad. She was young and beautiful and had her whole life ahead of her. But she rarely went out on a date or even out with girlfriends. She worked a lot of hours and went to the fitness club and minded her own business. She was a wonderful neighbor but Mrs. Wheatley felt sorry for Michelle without really knowing why. She wondered if the sadness had anything to do with the pictures of the handsome man that were all over Michelle's condo. There were pictures of the two of them together and some of him alone. Mrs. Wheatley made a comment one day about how handsome the man was and how happy the two of them looked. She hoped Michelle would confide in her. She didn't have many friends and she genuinely like Michelle. Michelle just smiled and nodded but said nothing. Mrs. Wheatley came to believe that something bad happened to the handsome man. Maybe he died of a rare disease or was killed in an accident or maybe he left her at the altar. She wasn't sure but she knew somehow that this man's absence broke Michelle's heart.

Michelle opened the door without looking out expecting to see Mrs. Wheatley. She gasped and raised her hand to her mouth when she saw Tony standing there dressed in civilian clothing.

"Tony, what are you doing here? How did you get here?" She started to become concerned that he was trying to escape from prison and she wouldn't have put it past Jack to help him.

"It's okay, Michelle. I'm not escaping. I wouldn't involve you if I were."

"That wasn't what I was…"

"Yes, it was. I saw the look on your face and you've never been a convincing liar," he said smiling. "It's okay. I would have thought the same thing," he paused. "I wanted you to hear this from me before you heard rumors or saw it on the news. The President granted me a pardon, Michelle."

"Oh Tony! That's wonderful!" She cried. Her eyes lit up and she threw her arms around his neck. He hugged her back closing his eyes and inhaling her soft, sweet scent. "I'm so happy for you," she said as she backed away. "Why don't you come in? We can talk."

By now Wrigley had peeked out from under the sofa and either recognized Tony's voice or his scent. She trotted happily across the room to the door and meowed loudly at Tony. He reached down and scooped her up and rubbed her against his face.

"Hey, Wrig," he said as he nuzzled her. "How are you? You look good. Michelle's been taking good care of you, hasn't she?" The cat purred in return.

"Look, Michelle, I don't want to interrupt you or bother you. I know you have your own life now. I just wanted you to know. The announcement will be made tomorrow morning but the pardon is already signed."

"Do your parents know?"

He nodded. "I called them already. I'm going to bead back to Chicago in a couple of days. I've got to figure out how to put my life back together. This is all such a shock."

"Where are you staying?"

"I talked to Todd. He's going to arrange for me to stay at a hotel until I leave for Chicago."

Michelle nodded and smiled.

"I guess I should go," he said handing Wrigley back to her. "Jack's waiting for me in the car. He's going to take me to the hotel."

"You could stay here," Michelle blurted out.

"I don't want to put you out, Michelle. I mean, if there's someone else in your life now, I understand. That's why I gave you your freedom."

She shook her head. "There's no one else, Tony. I wish you would stay. I can take you to Todd's office tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" He asked her.

"Absolutely. I don't have to work tomorrow since I spent all of those hours at CTU. Why don't you go downstairs and tell Jack."

Tony agreed and took the elevator to the ground floor. He practically ran to Jack's car, a smile nearly consuming his face. Jack smiled back as he wished Tony good luck and reminded him to keep in touch. Tony took the gym bag full of his things from CTU out of the car and thanked Jack for everything.

Upstairs Michelle was racing around trying to straighten up her condo. Like Tony, she couldn't stop smiling but wasn't sure what this all meant. What kind of relationship did Tony expect? He had forced the issue of divorce but she was sure that he never stopped loving her. Conversation between them was strained which worried her. They had always had so much to talk about but now they were acting like strangers. Michelle tried to relax knowing that this was all going to take time to sort out.

She had left the door partially open and Tony knocked lightly to let her know he was there.

"Come in," she told him. "Have you had lunch? I don't keep a lot of food in the house, but I'm sure I can come up with something."

"No thanks," he said setting his gym bag on the floor. "Jack and I went out for lunch."

"Can I get you anything? I'm sure you're tired. Would you like to rest?"

Tony smiled and looked at the floor. "You know what I would really like?"

"No Tony. What?" She asked smiling back.

"I would love to take a shower that I don't have to share with ten other guys and I'd like to drink a beer, in that order."

Michelle laughed a little. "Sure. The bathroom is here," she said as she walked him to the bathroom. "I'll get you some towels."

Tony slipped off his sport jacket and laid it across a chair then went into the bathroom and turned on the water in the shower.

Michelle came back carrying a set of towels and his old bathrobe. "Here you go. I thought you might like this," she said handing him the robe.

"You kept my bathrobe?"

"I have all of your clothes."

"You kept everything?"

"I couldn't bring myself to part with anything. I guess I would have eventually, but I just wasn't ready yet."

He took the robe from her and hung it on a hook on the back of the door.

"Enjoy your shower," she told him.

"Thanks," he said as he took the towels from her.

Michelle turned and started to walk away but turned back and looked at him for a second or two.

"What is it, Michelle?" Tony asked her.

"I was just wondering…I know you said you wanted to shower alone for a change but if you wanted some company…," she looked down shyly. "Umm…I'm available."

"I would love to have you keep me company in the shower, more than you can possibly imagine."

He reached out to her and drew her into his arms. They looked into each others eyes for a moment then Tony cupped her face in his hands and pulled it to his. They kissed tenderly with tongues probing deeply.

"I love you so much, Michelle," he said as they broke their kiss for a second. "I hope you understand that I never stopped loving you and I only asked for a divorce so that you could be free to have you own life. I never really wanted it."

"I knew that, Tony. I've never stopped loving you either," she said. They resumed kissing and at the same time they began to undress each other.

Tony stepped back and held her at arms length. "You are so beautiful," he whispered. "I dreamed about you every night, Michelle. And I started to think that you couldn't possibly be as beautiful as you were in my dreams, but I was wrong. You are even more beautiful than I remembered."

They finally stepped into the steamy shower. The water cascaded over them as their hands caressed soapy skin. They washed each others bodies and massaged shampoo into each others hair. They had rinsed off but continued kissing. Tony leaned down and kissed Michelle's earlobe and whispered, "Baby, you're making me crazy. Either we have to stop now or I have to have you."

"I'm yours, Tony," she whispered in return.

Tony turned off the shower and they grabbed towels to dry each other. Skin still damp, Michelle took Tony's hand and led him to the bedroom. Tony eased her to the bed and she pulled him down on top of her. They made love passionately. It felt good and so familiar as if the 18 months they had been apart had just been erased. The awkwardness they both felt earlier was gone.

They caressed silently for a long time, not needing to speak but communicating through gentle touch. They were both exhausted but neither one of them wanted to sleep. Eventually, Tony could feel Michelle's breathing begin to slow. He kissed the top of her head and said softly, "Hey, I thought you couldn't sleep during the day."

"You tired me out," she said sleepily. "You should go to sleep, too. We can continue this later."

"I'm afraid to go to sleep," Tony confessed.

Michelle propped herself up enough to look at him. "Afraid? Why?"

"I'm afraid I'll wake up and this will all be a dream. I'll be back in prison and you won't be next to me all soft and warm and naked," he smiled and tried to make light of it but she could tell that he was serious. His eyes suddenly filled with tears.

"I can't do it, Michelle. I can't ever wake up in that cell again. I can't wake up in a cell where I'm trapped until the block commander releases the doors in the morning." Tears streaked his face and Michelle wrapped her arms around him and held him close. "I can't ever wake up not knowing where you are or if you still love me."

Michelle had never seen Tony cry before. Throughout the ordeal of his arrest and court appearances during arraignment and the plea agreement, he never once broke down in front of her. She seemed to be crying constantly and every time she looked at Tony he was the pillar of strength. She had no idea of how many nights he had cried himself to sleep in federal detention and later in prison.

"You'll never wake up there again, Sweetheart. I want you to wake up next to me forever. I love you so much and I was so unhappy without you." Michelle told him as she wiped tears from his face.

They held each other until they both drifted off to sleep. Michelle woke first around 8:30. She lay quietly for a while just enjoying the feel of Tony's body next to hers. Wrigley wandered into the room and jumped on the bed near Michelle and nudged her with a furry head.

Michelle looked at the clock. "Oh," she said softly as she scratched the cat's ears. "I guess I missed your dinner time." She slipped silently out of bed, put on her robe and walked toward the kitchen. Wrigley sat on the bed for a moment watching Tony but tired of it quickly and followed Michelle to the kitchen for food.

Michelle came back to the bedroom to find Tony still sleeping. Now that she was awake, she was hungry, too. She slid back under the covers next to Tony and began planting soft kisses across his face. He brushed her away at first not realizing that it was Michelle. She smiled and continued finally placing a firm kiss on his mouth that made him groan. He put his arms around her and kissed her deeply.

"Are you ready for round two?" He asked hopefully as he ran his hands down her naked body.

"No, I'm ready for dinner. We can have round two after that."

Tony smiled and sat up. "You're right. I'm hungry, too. What are we eating?"

"You pick," she said. "What would you like?"

"Anything that's quick and that wasn't cooked in a prison kitchen."

"There's a Mexican place down the street that usually gets my order here in about a half hour. I'll call them." Michelle put her robe back on and left the room. Tony could here her calling in the order.

As Michelle promised, the food arrived in just over 30 minutes. The two sat on the bed and feasted on a variety of Mexican foods and washed it all down with Coronas. Michelle smiled as Tony took the first drink from his beer.

"I almost forgot what it tasted like," he said savoring the flavor.

When they finished, they cleared the trash and refrigerated the leftovers and climbed back into bed with another beer. Michelle snuggled against Tony and he kissed her temple.

"You know, Sweetheart," he started. "I didn't come here today to seduce you. I honestly came over to tell you about the pardon and planned to leave." Tony paused and sighed quietly. "Eighteen months is a long time, Michelle. And if you've created a new life for yourself, I understand. I'll hate it, but I really do understand."

"Tony, I couldn't possibly create a new life. I went out on a couple of dates and they felt all wrong. The only life I ever wanted was with you. I love you. I could barely function knowing that you were stuck in that prison and I couldn't be with you."

"I'm not sure how easy it's going to be to put my life back together, Michelle. I've got to find a job. I spent a lot of time in the headlines right next to Stephen Saunders. My side of the story never really got told since I chose to plead guilty and take the plea bargain. I'm not sure how many prospective employers are going to be interested in hiring me. I just don't want to take you on an emotional roller coaster."

"Tony, the last 18 months has been an emotional roller coaster. Just being with you is a stabilizing factor for me. I don't care how long it takes you to find a job. I've got a job and we can live on my salary for a while. I don't care if we stay in LA or move some place else. I can probably transfer to any FBI field office in the country. I just want to be with you and nothing else matters. I told you when you got the job offer at Langley that I would go anywhere with you. I meant that then and I mean it now. I will go anywhere with you."

Tears again filled Tony's eyes. "I love you so much, Baby," he told her. He composed himself quickly. "You know what? I've got something that belongs to you and you might like to have it back."

Tony got out of bed and walked to the bathroom where his clothes still lay in a heap. He picked up his pants and walked back to the bedroom. He pulled a crumpled napkin from the pocket and got back into bed with it. Tony opened the napkin slowly to reveal their wedding rings inside.

Michelle sat next to him smiling brightly when she saw the ring. "I'm sorry about throwing it at you. I always wondered what happened to it."

"I kept it with me all the time. Now I'm going to put it back where it belongs." Tony picked up her ring and took her left hand. He slowly slipped the ring onto her finger as whispered, "I, Tony Almeida, take you, Michelle Dessler, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad; in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."

Tears traced paths down Michelle's face as she picked up his ring and did the same thing. "I, Michelle Dessler, take you, Tony Almeida, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad; in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."

Tony leaned close so their foreheads touched. "I think this is the part were the priest says 'you may kiss the bride'." She tilted her head up to his and they kissed tenderly. "Maybe we can get a marriage license and make this official."

"I'd like that," Michelle told him. "I want to make sure you can't slip away from me again." They slid back under the covers and made love until they were both spent.


	5. Chapter 5

_I thought this would be my last chapter, but after writing the ending three different ways, I still didn't like it. I finally decided to change the endingin a way that required at least one more chapter. So here is chapter 5, I should have chpater 6 posted over the next few days. Thanks for staying with me, I hope I'm not dragging this outunnecessarilyand thanks again for all of the reviews._

Chapter 5

**7:22am**

Tony and Michelle awoke the next morning to a ringing phone. Michelle reached sleepily to the nightstand and, with eyes still closed, groped for the phone. She finally found it.

"Dessler," she said her voice rough with sleep.

"Michelle," said the voice on the other end. "Are you still sleeping?"

"Yeah Mom, I don't have to go to work today. I worked all night at CTU yesterday, remember?

"You need to wake up. Have you heard the news?"

By now Tony was awake and she positioned the phone between them so they could both hear.

"What news, Mom?" Michelle asked coyly as she winked at Tony.

"It's all over the news, Tony got a presidential pardon!"

"Really?" Michelle said acting surprised. Tony grinned at her. "So that's why I woke up in bed with him," she said playfully.

"Hi Helen," Tony said. "How are you?"

"Oh, Tony!" Helen Dessler cried. She covered the phone lightly with her hand. "Ed," she said to her husband. "Tony's there with Michelle." Then into the phone she said, "It's so good to hear your voice. We're so happy for you."

"Thanks Helen. It's good to hear your voice, too."

"Why didn't you two call us and let us know. We were shocked when we got up and heard the news."

"I guess we should have called, Mom," Michelle said, "I think we got a little carried away."

"Oh, no!" Helen laughed. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Only our sleep, Helen," Tony laughed in return. "How about if we stop over later today and see you two?"

"Come for dinner, we're dying to spend some time with you. I'll make that pork roast that you love, Tony."

"That'd be great, Helen. I can taste it already. And that'll give me a chance to ask you and Ed for your daughter's hand in marriage again."

"You already asked us once, Tony. We said 'yes' the first time; we're certainly not going to change our minds now. You saved her life, Tony. Don't think we've forgotten."

After talking to Michelle's parents, Tony and Michelle snuggled close.

"I hate the thought of getting out of bed," Tony said. "It feels so good just to lay here with you. I still can't believe this is happening."

"Well believe it. You're here and I'm beside you and nothing is going to change that." Michelle kissed him to emphasize her point. The kiss deepened and Michelle climbed on top of him. Tony groaned as he stroked her body and Michelle could feel him becoming aroused. They were in the middle of an intense kiss when the phone rang again. They both smiled and Michelle rested her forehead against Tony's. She rolled off of him and reached for the phone.

"Hello."

"Michelle," said Mrs. Wheatley her voice tremulous and frightened. "I hope I didn't wake you, Dear."

"No, Mrs. Wheatley. What's wrong?" Michelle covered the receiver and mouthed "my neighbor" to Tony.

"Have you looked outside, Michelle?"

"No, what's happening outside?"

"I don't know. There are news trucks and reporters all over the parking lot and the front steps."

Michelle got up and looked out of the window. Sure enough the parking lot was littered with reporters and camera crews and satellite trucks.

"I don't think you have to worry about it, Mrs. Wheatley." She knew Mrs. Wheatley never watched the news so she would have no idea that the reporters were there to talk to Tony.

"What could they want? What if they come to my door?" She said nervously. "I don't know what I'll do if they knock on my door."

"I really don't think they'll bother you, but if they do knock on your door, just ignore them."

Michelle finished reassuring Mrs. Wheatley and hung up the phone. By now Tony was standing next to her looking out at the throng of reporters.

"I guess we better get dressed and go downstairs." Michelle said.

Tony nodded. "They aren't going to leave us alone. The sooner we talk to them the sooner they stop bugging us."

The two got showered and dressed and had some breakfast and steeled themselves to face the crowd of reporters. Michelle grabbed her purse and keys and started out the door with Tony a few steps behind her. As Michelle stepped into the hallway, Mrs. Wheatley opened her door.

"Oh, Michelle," said Mrs. Wheatley. She looked up just as Tony walked out of the door. "Oh dear! I didn't realize that you had company or I wouldn't have bothered you this morning." Mrs. Wheatley took a step towards her door. As always, she was nervous around strangers but immediately noticed that the man with Michelle was the handsome man from the pictures.

"That's okay, Mrs. Wheatley. I want you to meet my husband, Tony Almeida."

"Your husband! Michelle, I didn't know you were getting married. When did this happen?"

"We've been married almost four years. It's just that circumstances kept us apart for the last year and a half." Michelle smiled up at Tony. There was no point in explaining to Mrs. Wheatley that they were actually divorced. Neither of them considered themselves divorced so why bother explaining.

Mrs. Wheatley looked at them with a confused look on her face.

"I'll tell you what," Michelle started. "We have a number of errands to run today, but as soon as we get home, I'll sit down and explain it all to you."

"Whenever you have a chance, Dear. How do you plan to get past all those reporters?"

"We don't. It's Tony that they want to talk to, so we're going to go downstairs and talk to them. I think they'll leave after that so you won't have to worry about them any more."

"Oh, that would be wonderful. They're making me so nervous. You're so brave to go and talk to them. If I had to talk to them I'd faint dead away!"

"You just go inside and relax and everything will be fine. Make yourself a cup of tea." Michelle instructed her.

Mrs. Wheatley nodded and started toward her door. "It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Wheatley," Tony said to her.

"Likewise, Tony," she responded. She stopped and looked at them for a moment and smiled. "It's good to see you smile, Michelle."

Michelle looked back at her, puzzled at what the elderly woman had just said. "I always smile when I see you."

"But not like you are right now. You're almost glowing. I've never seen you this happy. Even when you smiled I knew there was some sadness buried deep in your heart. All of that sadness is gone today. All that's left is a joy that someone who has never been in love can't even understand. I used to look that way when I was with my Harold," Mrs. Wheatley said wistfully. "It's okay for an old lady like me to have a sad heart, but it always hurt me to see someone so young and beautiful have that kind of sadness." Mrs. Wheatley surprised Michelle by hugging her. Mrs. Wheatley had always shunned any kind of physical contact. She even tensed up when Michelle tried to help her into the car. "I'm so happy for you, Dear."

Tony and Michelle headed downstairs and were mobbed by the reporters as they left the building. They stood on the front steps for almost a half hour and answered questions before they told the reporters that they had to go and they refused to answer any more questions. From there they went to Todd Maver's office and picked him up for the drive to the prison.

Once at the prison, Todd reviewed all of the paperwork with Warden Holmes. They agreed that it was all in order and handed it off to Tony to sign in several places. Each signature that he placed on the paper brought him one step closer to being completely free with no strings attached. He felt as though the burden of incarceration lifted just a little with each pen stroke until it was finally gone.

"That's it," Todd told him. "You can pick up your personal effects and you can walk out of here forever."

Tony stood and hugged Michelle. "She's the only 'person effect' I care about." They both beamed as Todd and the warden looked on.

"If it's okay, I would like to go and say goodbye to a couple of the guys here and some of the corrections officers. You can't live in a place for 18 months and not become friends with some of the other guys. I guess they've heard the news, but I'd like the chance to say goodbye."

"We made an announcement at breakfast this morning. It was about to hit the news and it was easier to tell everyone at once than to have rumors floating around. Some of the men were starting to wonder what happened to you. Having you go and say goodbye to people is a little unusual. I don't usually have civilians walking around the place, but give me a couple of minutes and we'll arrange something."

Tony agreed and spent the next hour saying his goodbyes. While he was doing that, Michelle called her boss and arranged to get time off of work so the two could travel to Chicago together.

When Tony was finished the warden himself brought out of box of personal items that the prison staff had removed from Tony's cell.

"I'm going to miss having you here to work on our computer system, Tony." Holmes said.

"If you could turn that into a real job, I'd be interested in it," Tony told him.

"I wish I could hire you, Tony. I don't have room in my budget for a systems administrator, let alone one of your caliber," he paused. "I don't know if you're interested, but the federal prison system is looking for a systems administrator for the entire system. The position has been open for a while but they haven't been able to come up with anyone who understood the intricacies of the system. The applicant needs to understand both the computer security end and the physical security of a prison. Your previous counter terrorist training, in addition to the time you spent as an inmate makes you uniquely qualified for the position. I'd be happy to put in a good word for you if you're interested. It would require a move to Virginia; I don't know how you feel about that."

Tony and Michelle smiled at each other. They were planning on a move to Virginia before Tony was arrested, so the idea wasn't new to either of them.

"I could be very interested," Tony said. "Who do I get in touch with for more information?"

"If you leave your contact information with me, I'll pass it on to the appropriate people. They'll get in touch with you."

Tony thanked Warden Holmes and provided him with Michelle's cell phone number and email address as a means of contact. He suddenly felt like he really didn't exist; he didn't have any identity of his own. He was grateful that he had Michelle, though. He knew that he could put his life back together with her support. They walked out of the prison holding hands; ready to restart their lives that had been essentially on hold for the last 18 months.

They drove back to LA with Todd who offered to take them out to lunch. They thanked him but declined and suggested maybe they get together over the next couple of weeks. They had other things they needed to do and, although neither wanted to admit it, they both just wanted time together that they didn't have to share with anyone else.

They arrived home a little after 1:30. Tony scrounged through the kitchen looking for something to make for lunch. Wrigley rubbed back and forth against his legs. She remembered how Tony always used to throw her scraps when he cooked.

"How do you live like this?" He asked laughing as he opened one cupboard door after another and then turned to the refrigerator. You don't ever have to worry about having mice in your house; there isn't enough food for them to eat! You have more food for Wrigley than you do for yourself."

"You know I hate to cook," Michelle said.

"You must hate to eat, too, because there isn't anything here to eat. I'm not even talking about cooking. No wonder you're on a first name basis with all of the local carry out places," he teased her.

Tony expected a witty comeback from Michelle but she said nothing. As he looked over at her, he noticed that her eyes were filled with tears.

"Hey," Tony whispered as he reached for her hand and pulled her toward him. "I'm kidding, Honey. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"It's not that," she said her face pressed against his neck. "I almost never ate at home while you were gone. It was so sad and lonely to sit and eat at the same table where we used to sit and talk and eat all of the wonderful meals you cooked. That's why there's nothing in the cupboards. If I had to eat here, I sat in front of the TV or I stood at the counter in the kitchen. I almost never sat at the table," she sobbed.

"Baby, I'm here now. Those days are over," he assured her. He kissed her forehead gently as tears cascaded down her face. "I'm going to cook for you and we're going to eat together again."

"Tony, I was so scared," she said through deep sobs. "I was so afraid that I'd never see you again, that you'd never hold me or kiss me again. It was because of me that you were charged with treason. I couldn't stand the idea that you were in person because of me," she cried uncontrollably.

Tony helped her to the sofa and sat her down. He sat next to her and took her face in his hands. As he did so, he gently wiped away tears with his thumbs.

"Sweetheart, I have never, not for one minute, blamed my ending up in prison on you. I freely chose to do what I did. I knew what I was doing and I did it anyway. Michelle, if it hadn't been for my position at CTU, you never would have been kidnapped. Do you know how guilty I've felt about that? If anything bad would have happened to you, I could never have forgiven myself."

Michelle continued as if she hadn't heard him. "Tony, I hated you for making me sign divorce papers. And I hated you for refusing to see me. Then I hated myself for feeling that way about you. Didn't you understand how much I loved you and how much I needed to see you? How could you do that to me? I know you think you were doing what was best for me, but you should have let me decide what was best for me." She was crying so hard she had to stop. The pain and the frustration of the last 18 months were released like a flood.

Michelle tried to get up from the sofa, but Tony held her tighter. "I'm so sorry, Baby. I'm so sorry. You're right; I should have let you make the decision. I'm sorry, Michelle."

Tony whispered his apologies over and over as he held her. He gently pulled her body down on top of his as he lay back on the sofa. Michelle's thin shoulders shook violently. He stoked her hair and back and kissed the top of her head. They lay together for a long time until Michelle stopped crying and finally lay still in his arms.

"I was wrong, Baby. I shouldn't have forced you to sign the divorce papers and I should have let you make the decision or at least I should have talked to you about it. I never meant to hurt you. I hope you know that and that you can forgive me," he whispered.

Without a word, Michelle raised her face to his and kissed him. Her lips were slightly parted and salty with her tears. He returned the kiss and gently pushed his tongue between her lips. Her mouth opened easily and the kiss intensified. Before they even realized what they were doing, they were fumbling with buttons and pulling each others clothes off. They slid from the sofa to the floor and made love frantically.

When they finished, Tony pulled a blanket from the sofa to cover them. They snuggled beneath it both waiting for their heart beats to return to normal.

"I'm sorry," Michelle whispered as she gave Tony a small smile.

"You're sorry? For what? That was beautiful, Michelle."

"Not for that! I'm sorry I went crazy on you when you were trying to make lunch. I didn't mean it, Tony. I never hated you. I wouldn't know how to hate you."

"I'm just sorry I put you through so much. I just wanted you to be able to get on with your life. Todd tried to tell me that I should wait and talk to you about it in a few months, but I decided that it was best to sever the ties immediately. I didn't have the right to make that decision for you." He kissed her forehead.

The next few weeks were busy for Tony and Michelle. They flew to Chicago and spent several days with Tony's parents. While they were there, they got a marriage license and were remarried by a Justice of the Peace. Toward the end of the trip, Tony got a call from an official at the federal prison system regarding the job that Warden Holmes had mentioned. After an hour phone interview, they asked Tony to come to Virginia to interview in person. Tony and Michelle rearranged their travel plans and flew to Virginia for the interview, spent a couple of days in the area and then flew back to LA.

They had only been home two days when the prison official called Tony back to offer him the job. They quickly negotiated salary and start date and Tony accepted the position. He and Michelle were excited about the chance to move to Virginia just as they had planned 18 months ago. They were happy to have the chance to start over and started talking again about their hopes for the future and starting a family. Michelle was able to secure a transfer to a Virginia field office that was only about 15 miles from where Tony would be working. All in all, everything was working out perfectly.

It was Friday morning and Michelle got up and dressed for her last day of work in the LA field office. She was so excited that she wondered how she would concentrate on work for the next eight hours. She and Tony were going out with Kim and Chase for dinner that night and her parents were having a going away party for them on Saturday. Monday morning the movers were coming to pack them up and start the cross country trip. She and Tony would fly to Virginia on Tuesday.

She kissed Tony goodbye and told him she would be home by 6 o'clock. Tony laughed. The FBI was a demanding agency to work for and Michelle was rarely home on time.

Michelle made a face at him when he laughed. "I will be home on time. I promise," she told. "It's my last day, I refuse to work late."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Tony informed her as he returned her kiss.

Tony stayed busy packing most of the day. It was around 3:30 when he decided to call Michelle and remind her to be home on time.

"Hey," he said. "How's it going there? Are you still planning on leaving at 5:30?"

Michelle sighed. "Do you remember the case I've been working on?"

"You mean the serial rapist that is luring young girls through the internet?"

"Yeah, that's the one. We got a great tip this morning. I've spent the whole day working it up. If this pans out, we may be able to make an arrest. So I'm probably going to be stuck in the office for a while getting enough evidence for an arrest warrant. This is all circumstantial evidence so the judge is going to want as much evidence we can possibly come up with."

"So in other words, I should call Kim and Chase and cancel."

"Maybe you should. I hate to do that, but I can't imagine that I can leave here on time."

"For chrissake, Michelle! This is your last day. Let someone else finish it up."

"Tony, I've been working on this case for six months. Nine girls have been raped and three have ended up dead. This guy actually takes the time to use a condom so he doesn't even leave us any DNA. I can't walk away, not now, not after all this time. There's too much as stake."

Tony was angry but knew that she was right. "Okay, just keep in touch so I know when to expect you to come home." He would be surprised if she walked in the door before midnight.

Tony went back to packing and thinking about how much he was looking forward to his new job and their new life on the east coast. He started imagining them with children and a little house in the suburbs and found himself smiling.

The phone rang around 7:20 and he knew from the caller ID that it was Michelle.

"Hi," he said. "Are you coming home soon?"

"Probably not," she told him. "We're close to making an arrest, though."

"Good, at least when you leave you'll know the case is closed."

"Yeah, right," she said without enthusiasm.

"What's wrong?" Tony asked her. "You sound like there's a problem."

"Not really a problem. It's just that we're spread really thin here tonight. We have every available field agent out and we need a couple more to complete the operation."

"Michelle, you are not a field agent," he said sensing that she was about to tell him that she was going into the field. "Tell me you're not going out in the field." She could hear the anxiety rising in his voice.

"I'm rated as excellent on the firing range, Tony. I can take care of myself."

"When is the last time you were in the field?"

Michelle was silent.

"When was the last time, Michelle?" The anger was clear in Tony's voice.

"When I was at the Chandler Plaza Hotel," she answered calmly.

"You almost died there. Do you remember that?"

"Of course I remember that. I also remember that is was the virus that nearly killed me, not a bullet."

"But then you were kidnapped! Michelle, this is nuts. There have to be other agents there that can go out in the field. Please don't do this, Michelle. I almost lost you once, I can't bear to go through that again."

"Tony, I can do this. I'll be careful. I'll just be there for back up. You don't need to worry," she told him. "I love you. I'll call you as soon as I can."


	6. Chapter 6

_Okay, I lied again. It actually took me two chapters to finish the story. I'm still not totally satisfied with the ending. If anyone has suggestions to improve the ending, let me know and I'll consider editing it._

Chapter 6

**10:56pm**

Tony spent the evening trying to pack and play with Wrigley and do anything that took his mind off of Michelle. He knew she could handle herself, but sometimes these things blew up in your face. You never knew what was going to happen when you were out in the field. Every bad scenario that he could possibly imagine went through his head. He tried to tell himself that is was stupid, that she would be fine, but he couldn't convince himself. He just had a bad feeling.

It was time for the 11 o'clock news, so Tony sat down hoping to hear that the suspect had been arrested.

"Good evening," the news anchor said, "and thank you for joining us tonight. For our top story tonight we'll go live to Jill Tucker in south central LA where we understand that the FBI has just arrested a suspect in the serial rape and murder cases that have rocked LA in the past several months. Jill, what can you tell us?"

Tony smiled as he thought about the part that Michelle had played in this arrest. He knew it would be hours before everything was complete and she was home again, but when she got home he was going to kiss her and congratulate her and apologize for giving her such a hard time about going out in the field.

"Well, Jim," the reporter said as sirens wailed behind her. "As you said, the FBI is confirming that they have arrested a suspect in the recent spate of rapes and murders in the suburban areas around LA. That's the good news tonight. The bad news is that the arrest didn't come without bloodshed. The suspect made a last ditch attempt to escape. He was well armed and came out firing. Andrew Hanson, the Special Agent in Charge of the LA field office, has just confirmed that in the process of arresting 27 year old Keith Wright, Wright was shot in the leg. His injuries are not thought to be life threatening and he was taken by ambulance to a local hospital. Unfortunately, Special Agent Hanson also confirms that before his agents were able to bring him down, Wright shot three FBI agents."

Tony sat staring at the television in stunned silence. He could feel his heart rate rise.

The reporter continued. "One agent was pronounced dead at the scene. The other two have been flown by helicopter to area trauma centers. They have not release the names of the dead and injured agents pending notification of their next of kin. Witnesses at the scene have described both of the injured agents as 'young women' in their 'late 20's or early 30's'. Witnesses also tell us that one of the agents was shot a second time after she was already down on the ground. All other details are sketchy at this time. We will update you as soon as we have more information. Back to you, Jim."

Tony could barely think. His mouth had gone dry and he was breathing in short, audible pants as if he had just run a long distance. "Not Michelle," he whispered out loud. "Oh God, please, not Michelle."

He picked up the phone and called her cell phone. The call was immediately answered by her voice mail. He told himself that that meant nothing. Agents in the field rarely left their personal cell phones turned on; they couldn't take a chance on them ringing and giving away their location. He disconnected and dialed the number at her desk. Again, the phone went to voice mail with instructions to 'dial zero for the receptionist if you need to speak with someone immediately'.

Tony punched the zero button and a receptionist with a soft, stoic voice answered.

"This is Tony Almeida," he told her. "I need to speak with my wife, Michelle Dessler."

"Agent Dessler is in the field right now, Mr. Almeida. Would you like to leave a message?" The receptionist told him.

"No, I want you to connect me with her. I want to know that she's alright."

"I can try, Mr. Almeida. I'm not sure if any of the agents are taking calls right now. You understand I'm sure, the crime scene is pretty hectic at the moment."

"I understand that three agents have been shot and one is dead and my wife is at the scene. I want to talk to her right now. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir, I'll try and connect you."

Tony waited for what seemed like an eternity. He finally heard the line open up.

"Michelle," he said quickly into the phone.

"No, Mr. Almeida. This is Drew Hanson. I'm the Special Agent in Charge."

"Where's Michelle? Is she alright? Is she alive?"

"Yes, Mr. Almeida, she is alive, however she is one of the agents that was shot."

"Oh God, no! How badly is she hurt? Where was she hit?"

"I can't tell you that, Mr. Almeida. I just arrived at the scene a few minutes ago. When I got here she was already on her way to USC Medical Center. I have a pair of agents dispatched to your home to pick you up and take you there. In fact, they should be there in just a few minutes. I'm sorry, Mr. Almeida," he added softly.

Tony hung up and grabbed his jacket. He decided to run downstairs and wait for the agents to pick him up. He thought about driving himself, but he was too upset. He ran down the steps instead of waiting for the elevator and stepped out of the building into the cool night air. While he waited he pulled out his phone and dialed Michelle's parents.

"Ed," he said as he father-in-law answered. "It's Tony."

"Hey Tony," Ed replied. "Everybody's looking forward to the party tomorrow night."

"Ed, we're going to need to cancel the party," Tony told him.

"Cancel? Why?" Ed asked him.

"Did you hear the late news? Three FBI agents were shot. Ed, I'm sorry," Tony paused to compose himself. "Michelle was one of them. She's being taken to USC Medical Center. I'm on my way there now."

"My God, Tony, is she going to be alright?" Her father asked panic flooding his voice.

"They couldn't tell me anything, Ed. We just have to pray that she'll be okay," Tony said as his voice wavered with emotion.

"Helen and I will meet you at the hospital. It'll take us about a half hour from here. Call us if you get any new information."

"I will, Ed," Tony promised him. As he hung up the phone just as the FBI agents pulled up to the curb.

They dropped Tony off at the medical center's trauma entrance. Tony thanked the agents hastily and ran through the door and into the lobby to the registration desk.

"My wife, Michelle Dessler, was just brought in by helicopter. Can I see her?"

"I'm sorry, sir," the young woman told him. "The doctor's are with her now. I'll let them know you're here. There's a waiting room right over there," she pointed to her left. "They'll meet you there."

"I just need to know how she's doing. Please, if you can tell me anything…"

"Sir, I'm sorry. I wish I could help, but I really don't have any information. I'm sure as soon as they can, one of the doctors will be out to talk to you. I know this is hard, but please be patient. The staff is doing everything possible for your wife."

Tony nodded and thanked her and went to the waiting room that was already crowded with other people who were waiting for word on their loved ones as well. Like any big city trauma center on a Friday evening, this one was busy. Accident victims, victims of gang violence and drug related shootings and innocent bystanders who got caught in the crossfire all ended up here and tonight was no exception.

The trauma area hummed with activity. Doctors and nurses all dressed in green scrubs moved quickly and purposefully. Police who were hoping to talk to victims or families were scattered around waiting, sometimes patiently and sometimes not. Family members sat on uncomfortable chairs and leafed through old magazines in the waiting room. Some paced to try and make the time go faster. Some were crying; openly weeping or stifling sniffles, it didn't matter, their anguish was palpable. Others were silent and numb, like Tony. They couldn't believe what was happening. It was surreal and they hoped to wake and find it all a dream.

Every so often a name was called out and someone's family was guided out by a staff member. They all had the same look when that happened. It was a look of relief that they were finally getting some information mixed with a fear of what the information might be.

Tony was still pacing in the back of the waiting room when Michelle's parents arrived. He hugged them tearfully and told them that here was no new information. The three of them were huddled together in a corner of the room when a young nurse stepped into the waiting room.

"The family of Michelle Dessler," she called as her eyes scanned the room.

Tony hurried toward her with Michelle's parents following closely behind. "I'm Michelle's husband. How is she? Can I see her? These are her parents, they'd like to see her, too."

The nurse smiled and nodded toward Helen and Ed. "The doctors have stabilized her, but I can't let you see her right now. We're prepping her for surgery."

"Where was she shot? How serious are her injuries?" Tony asked as the nurse led Tony and his in-laws into a private consultation room.

"She's in serious condition. She's lost a lot of blood and she has a long surgery ahead of her. I'll let our trauma surgeon Dr. Fledderman fill you in on all of the details. Right now I need to know if she has any medical conditions that we should know about, things like high blood pressure or diabetes."

"No, nothing at all. She's always been very healthy." They all agreed.

"Does she take any medications or birth control pills?"

"No, nothing. I mean, maybe Tylenol once in a while for a headache, but nothing on a regular basis." Tony told her.

"Okay, that's really all I need. Let me give you this," she said as she handed Tony a plastic bag the contained Michelle's jewelry and cell phone. "These are all of the personal items we took off of her. I know this is hard, but try and relax. The doctor will be in shortly," she told them as she left the room.

Tony opened the plastic bag and emptied its contents on a table. He slipped the phone into his jacket pocket. He picked up the pretty sterling silver necklace that had sparkled this morning in the sun as it hung from Michelle's neck. It had been splashed with her blood and Tony pulled out a handkerchief to try and clean it. Once clean he put the necklace on his mother-in-law.

"I gave this to Michelle for our second anniversary. I'd like it if you would wear it until she's well enough to wear it again."

Helen nodded, unable to speak without crying.

Tony returned a bracelet, watch and earrings to the bag and put the bag in his pocket. Michelle's wedding ring lay alone on the table. He stared at it for a moment and then slipped it on his pinky the same way he had every night while he was in prison. He would have happily gone back to prison if it meant that Michelle would be well and safe and curled up in bed and not in a trauma center fighting for her life.

Dr. Neil Fledderman knocked lightly on the door but didn't wait for a response before he entered. He was about Tony's age and carried with him an air of authority but his manner was gentle and he instantly put Tony at ease. He introduced himself to Tony and the Desslers and they all set down.

"Please tell me that my wife is going to be alright. I need to know that she's going to live."

"I can't promise you anything, Mr. Almeida. I will do everything possible to make sure she walks out of this hospital with you. Right now she's pretty sick." He sat back and began to describe her injuries to the family.

"Michelle was hit twice, once in the chest and once in the arm," he started.

"In the chest! Wasn't she wearing a bullet proof vest?" Tony asked incredulously.

"She was, Mr. Almeida. In fact it was still on her when they brought her in. The bullet hit just above the vest and if she had been standing when it hit her, it probably would have passed through near her shoulder and wouldn't have done any life threatening damage. Unfortunately, based on the trajectory of the bullet, she was hit as she was going down or was already down. The bullet traveled from just above her collar bone down into her left lung and is now lodged near her breast bone. The lung has collapsed and she is having some difficulty breathing and getting enough oxygen. We put her on a ventilator to assist her breathing."

"So that's the worst of it, right?" Tony asked. "The other bullet just hit her arm."

"Not exactly, Mr. Almeida. The bullet that hit her left forearm did a lot of damage. It shattered one of the bones and over the next few days, that's going to require more surgery. The bigger problem is that the bullet hit her radial artery. She's lost a lot of blood and right now she has very little circulation to her wrist and hand. I've got a vascular surgeon looking at that right now and planning a strategy to re-establish circulation."

"And if he can't?" Tony asked him.

The doctor looked at the floor for a long time before he looked back at Tony. "We would have to amputate her arm just below the elbow," he said in a calm, quiet voice. "That would be an absolute last resort, Mr. Almeida. The vascular surgeon will try a couple of techniques before he would resort to that."

Tony, along with Ed and Helen, was trying to process all of the information when an intercom in the room buzzed.

"Dr. Fledderman," said the voice of a young intern who was working with him. "Michelle Dessler's labs are available now on the computer. You need to take a look at them."

"Excuse me," the doctor said as he moved to a computer in the corner of the room and picked up the hand set on the phone so he could speak to his intern. "Is there anything special I need to look at?"

Tony wished he could hear the other end of the conversation. The caller was obviously giving the doctor information that he wasn't happy about. His eyes traveled down the computer screen as he considered the results of the various lab tests.

"Oh shit," he said softly into the phone. "Did the lab repeat the test? Get an ultrasound technician stat then call Dr. Olivia Scott. I saw her in the cafeteria earlier and I'm pretty sure she's on call up on 3 West. I need Olivia to see Agent Dessler before we can take her to the OR. Have you told the anesthesiologist about this? She needs to know. She can talk to Olivia about what anesthetics she recommends. Oh, and give her two more units of blood. I was trying to hold off, but I don't think we have a choice now. I'll be back in a couple of minutes. Call me if you need me." He hung up the phone and turned toward the family.

"I take it there's a problem," Tony said trying to anticipate the blow.

Dr. Fledderman sat down and was silent for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "More of a complication than a problem," he answered. He drew a soft breath, "Mr. Almeida, I ran a number of routine labs on your wife and her serum HCG test came back elevated."

Tony shook his head. "I don't know what that is," he told the doctor.

"It's a pregnancy test. Based on the numbers, it looks like she's maybe four or five weeks pregnant. She may not even have realized it yet."

Tony closed his eyes trying to process yet another unexpected piece of information. "If she knew, she didn't tell me. I had no idea or I would have told you immediately. What does this mean? How does this change things?"

"Some things it doesn't change. She still needs surgery immediately and we will go forward with that. Before we go to surgery, we'll get an ultrasound and see if the baby is okay. Michelle has had a tremendous shock to her body tonight and sometimes that kind of shock will result in a miscarriage. We'll be able to tell on ultrasound if the baby's heart is still beating. If it is, we need to proceed with caution. We'll do everything we can to avoid drugs that could harm a developing baby and we'll make sure she is well shielded when we have to do x-rays. That's also why I told my intern to give her more blood. I want to make sure that the oxygen supply to the baby remains good. I called in a specialist to see her as well. I'll make sure that she stops in here and talks to you when she's finished." He looked at his watch. "I really need to get back to your wife, Mr. Almeida, but I need you to sign the consent for surgery first."

He handed Tony the consent forms to sign. Tony felt hot tears sting his eyes as he scrawled his signature across the bottom.

"Dr. Scott will be in shortly to talk to you. We'll let you see Michelle before we take her into surgery. Please try and relax," Dr. Fledderman told them. "This is going to be a long night."

The room was quiet after Dr. Fledderman left. Tony sat with his head in his hands wondering how he would go on if he lost his beautiful Michelle. It was bad enough that he had to be away from her while he was in prison, but at least she was alive and well and safe.

"Why is this happening?" He whispered aloud. "All we ever wanted was to be together, to have a family. We never wanted power or money. We just wanted each other. Every time we get together, something bad happens, some force tears us apart. I don't understand it."

"Don't give up, Tony. Michelle's strong; she's not going anywhere without a fight," Helen said as she put her arm around his shoulder. "And you might have that family sooner than you think." She tried to smile but was only marginally successful.

As promised, Dr. Olivia Scott, a specialist in high risk pregnancies, stopped in the consultation room to talk to Tony. She was about 55 and had short cropped hair that was prematurely white. She had bright blue eyes that had a gentle twinkle in them.

"Hi, I'm Liv Scott," she told them casually. "I just examined Michelle and I was happy with what I found. I easily located the baby's heartbeat on ultrasound. It's clear and loud, the rate and rhythm are both good for this stage of development. So far I think Michelle's body has protected the baby well. The next few hours in surgery are going to be critical. I asked Dr. Fledderman to call me as soon as she's out of the OR so I can examine her again."

"And if the baby is okay after surgery, does that mean we shouldn't expect any more problems?" Tony asked.

"If the baby survives the surgery and the next few days that's a good sign. Realistically, Michelle will need to be watched closely throughout her pregnancy. For now, let's just take one step at a time."

Tony was about to ask another question but a knock at the door interrupted him. The nurse who first spoke to Tony opened the door and leaned in.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Ms. Dessler is on her way to the OR, would you like to see her for a second?"

"Of course," Tony answered abruptly.

He stepped into the hallway as they wheeled the gurney carrying Michelle toward the double doors of the operating room.

"Hold up a second, Tommy," the nurse told a young assistant. "The family wants to spend a little time with her."

Tony looked down at her and swallowed hard. The usual pink glow on the apples of her cheeks was gone. It was replaced by a sallow white that was emphasized by the bleached white sheets on the bed. A thick gauze pad on her left collar bone was beginning to show signs of blood seeping through. Her left arm was swathed in bandages and resting on a large absorbent pad that was crimson with her blood. Her left hand was cold, the skin blue and mottled. He reached for her right hand and was grateful to find it warm.

"Hi, Sweetheart," he leaned in close and whispered. "Michelle, I know this is hard, but you've got to fight, Honey. Your mom and dad and I will be here waiting for you and praying for you. I love you so much, Michelle. You have to get better, Honey. We've got so many plans. I can't do all of those things without you." Tony's voice cracked as he tried to control his emotion. If Michelle could hear him, he didn't want her to hear him cry. He wanted to stay strong for her.

"We really have to go now, sir," the nurse told him.

Tony closed his eyes and nodded as tears slid down his face. He kissed her pale cheek gently and laid his hand on her stomach.

"Please," he said to the team surrounding the gurney, "take good care of both of them."

"We will," the nurse told him as she touched his hand. "There's a waiting room over there," she pointed down the hall. "Try and get some rest. She's going to be in surgery at least three hours. Dr. Fledderman will be out to talk to you as soon as we're finished."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The hours that Michelle spent in surgery passed at a pace so slow that Tony thought time had stopped. He drank endless cups of bad coffee from a pot in the waiting room as did Ed and Helen. They took turns pacing and looking out the window at the sleeping city. An occasional car rolled by on the street below, but overall it was quiet. Tony couldn't help but wish he was at home in bed with Michelle safely curled up in his arms. He remembered making love to her in the morning before she went to work. She had just gotten out of the shower and her skin was warm and damp and freshly scrubbed and lightly scented with the vanilla body wash she had used. He begged her to call in sick and stay in bed with him all day. She laughed and told him that she couldn't call in sick on her last day, that they would continue this later. Then she got out of bed and dressed and went off to work. That was the last image he had of her until he saw her on the way to the operating room and he tried to keep that beautiful image clear in his mind.

At around 2:30, Drew Hanson and two other FBI agents came into the waiting room.

"Mr. Almeida," Hanson said extending his hand. "I'm Drew Hanson. These are Agents Barnes and McKenna." Tony stood and shook hands with the agents and introduced Michelle's parents.

"Thank you for stopping by," Tony said sincerely.

"We would have been here sooner, but we spent some time at UCLA Medical Center with the family of Elise Tanner; she was the other agent that was shot."

"Elise Tanner?" Tony asked in a surprised voice. "She's a friend of Michelle's. How is she doing?"

Hanson looked at the floor and shook his head. "She didn't make it. She died in the operating room."

Tony turned and walked away. He empathized with Hanson right now. It was the middle of the night and Hanson looked completely spent as did the other agents. Tony remembered being in similar situations when he was CTU director. He had visited families in hospitals and at funeral homes telling the family that the CTU staff was hoping for the best outcome or offering condolences when necessary. He knew how hard it was to stand there knowing that the family blamed you for their loved one's death or injuries. He knew the hours of paperwork that lay ahead of Hanson and how the whole operation would come under scrutiny by his superiors. At the same time, he didn't care. He didn't even care that Michelle's friend Elise was dead. He just wanted Michelle and the baby, that he didn't even know about until just a couple of hours ago, to be alright.

"Did you know that it was Michelle that took the suspect down?" Hanson asked him.

"Really?" Tony said startled by the news. "How did she do it?"

"McKenna and Barnes were there. Why don't you two tell him?" Hanson suggested to the agents.

Agent McKenna spoke up. "Tanner and Romano, the agent that died at the scene, were already down and Wright had his gun aimed at me. Michelle came up behind him and told him to drop his weapon. He started to lower his hand and then he turned on her and tried to wrench the gun from her hand. She was able to kick him away but in the process she lost her balance and fell. That was when he shot her in the chest. I thought at first that she took it in the vest and that she wasn't hurt because she was able to aim and get two shots off. At the same time he shot her again and that was when he hit her arm.

"Wright went down and Barnes subdued him and I went to help Michelle and realized that she was bleeding from the chest wound, too."

"Was she conscious?" Tony asked.

"For a few minutes," McKenna told him. "She knew she was hit. I told her that it didn't look bad, but she didn't believe me. She was having trouble breathing and she could barely talk. She looked at me. There was blood all over both of us. She shook her head to tell me 'no' and all she said was 'too much blood, Ron, too much blood'. Then she told me to tell you that she loved you just before she lost consciousness. She was losing a tremendous amount of blood from her arm. I knew an artery had been hit, so I put a tourniquet on to try and slow the blood loss. I hope it helped."

McKenna looked away for a moment unable to go on. "Michelle saved my life, Mr. Almeida. I can never repay her for that. I just pray that she'll be okay."

Hanson asked all of the obligatory questions of Tony. "Were the doctors hopeful?" and "How long should the surgery last?" and "Is there anything we can do for you right now?" Tony patiently answered his questions and thanked him but said that he and Michelle's parents were doing as well as could be expected and that they didn't need anything. He assured Hanson that they would call him if they did. Hanson left his business card with Tony and asked him to call as soon as they had any news on Michelle's condition. Tony promised that he would and the trio of agents walked silently from the waiting room.

Exhaustion began to overtake Tony and Ed and Helen. Tony eventually settled in a relatively comfortable chair and put his head back. He was just beginning to doze off when he heard his name. He awoke with a start and sat up abruptly.

"Yes," he said suddenly fully awake. He recognized Dr. Fledderman standing in front of him. He wasn't exactly smiling, but he also didn't look like a man about to deliver bad news. Tony looked at his watch; it was 4:45am.

Fledderman pulled a chair over and sat down. He was still wearing scrubs, his hair covered with a green cap, and his surgical mask untied at the top and hanging from his neck.

"She came through the surgery well," he told them. "I'm not going to tell you that she's out of the woods entirely, but she was relatively stable throughout the surgery. The vascular surgeon repaired the radial artery pretty easily and as soon as he re-established blood flow, her hand got nice and pink. That's a good sign," he told them. "The orthopedic surgeon made repairs to the bone. With physical therapy, Michelle should regain all of the use of her hand. It will probably always be a little weak and there was some nerve damage so she may always have some numbness in it, but overall, her hand should be fully functional."

"How about the bullet in her chest?" Tony asked. "Were you able to remove it?"

"Yes, and actually, it did a lot less damage than it could have. The collapsed lung partially reinflated and the rest should reinflate on its own over the next few days. If not, we'll have to do a procedure to correct that. But the good news is that even with the partially collapsed lung, she's breathing on her own. She woke up right after surgery and she's sleepy, but when I talked to her in the recovery room, she was completely appropriate. She could tell me her name, she knew she was in the hospital and she knew that she'd been shot. Frankly, she seemed more concerned with whether they caught the suspect than how she was doing. She also asked about the other agents that were shot."

Tony smiled. That described Michelle perfectly. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her that I was pretty sure they had the suspect but that I really didn't know about the other agents. That was only partially a lie. I knew one agent was dead, but I didn't think this was a good time to tell her. The last I heard of the other agent, she was on her way to UCLA's trauma center."

"The second agent died in surgery. If she asks me, should I tell her that?"

"I probably wouldn't tell her tonight. She's going to find out soon enough."

"How about the baby?" Tony asked. "Is the baby alright?"

"I don't know. I called Dr. Scott in to see her but I came out to talk to you just as she was arriving, so I don't know what she found. She's probably just about finished. If you would like to go back and see Michelle, you can talk to Dr. Scott at the same time."

"Can we all see her?" Tony asked knowing how much Ed and Helen wanted to see her.

Fledderman shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can only let one person go in right now. You'll all be able to spend more time with her in the morning. As soon as Dr. Scott is finished, we'll transfer her to intensive care."

The doctor directed Tony into the recovery area just outside of the operating rooms. Once inside a nurse took him across the room and drew aside a curtain on a small cubicle. Dr. Scott was standing next to Michelle pressing an ultrasound wand on her abdomen and checking images on the monitor next to her.

"Is everything alright?" Tony asked her.

She looked up and smiled. "The baby has a brisk heartbeat. Right now everything looks fine. We'll keep a close eye on her while she's here and once she goes home, her own doctor can take over." Dr. Scott started gathering up her equipment. "I'm finished. I'll go and leave you two alone. I think if you talk to her she'll wake up. I talked to her for a few seconds when I came in and she seemed alert. Once I started examining her, she fell back to sleep which is to be expected."

"Did you tell her that she's pregnant?"

"No, I thought I'd give you pleasure of doing that," she smiled at him.

Tony watched Dr. Scott leave then he moved to Michelle's side. She was still awfully pale. He reached over and brushed some curls out of her face and caressed her cheek. He leaned in close and whispered her name. Her eyes opened instantly.

"Hi," she whispered hoarsely her eyes barely open.

"Hi," he said in return. He took her right hand in his and squeezed it gently. She squeezed weakly in return.

"You were right," she said haltingly. "I should have stayed in the office."

"You did great, Babe. You brought down the suspect and you saved Ron McKenna's life."

"I did?" She said surprised. "Elise and John were shot."

"I know Honey."

"Are they okay?" She asked.

Tony was silent for a moment which gave Michelle a chance to fall asleep again. Tony was grateful to be saved from answering the question.

"Michelle," he whispered again.

Her eyes fluttered open. "Did I fall asleep?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's okay. You need to sleep, Baby. I just wanted you to know how much I love you."

"Love you, too," she whispered sleepily.

"Are you in any pain?"

"Not really, I'm just sore all over."

"How about if I let you get some sleep. I think you'll feel better after you get some sleep," he said as he kissed her lips tenderly.

"Don't go," she said. Tony thought he could detect some anxiety in her sleepy voice and she gripped his hand a little tighter. "I don't want to be alone. I'm scared, Tony. I keep seeing his eyes, the way he looked at me before he shot me. His eyes were so empty and cold."

"It's alright, Sweetheart. I'll stay as long as they let me. You don't have to be afraid. I'm here." He kissed her forehead. "Look at me," he directed her.

Michelle angled her head slightly to the right. "Look at my eyes. What do you see?"

"I see somebody who needs some sleep," she said as the corners of her mouth turned up into a slight smile.

"Wise guy!" Tony said as he laughed.

"Who was the woman you were talking to?"

"One of the doctors," he told her.

"That was weird," she said.

"What was weird, Honey?" He asked her.

"I've probably had too many drugs. I thought she was talking to you about my heart, but she never listened to my heart. She was pressing on my stomach. I guess I'm dreaming."

Tony smiled. Even drugged, Michelle's mind was still analytical.

"It wasn't _your_ heart she was talking about, Sweetheart."

"Why was she talking to you about someone else's heart?" Her brow furrowed slightly with confusion.

"She was talking about the baby's heart."

"What baby?"

"Our baby, Michelle."

"We don't have a baby, Tony. Stop talking the riddles, I'm too sleepy to decode them." Her sentence started to trail off as her eyes closed again.

"Michelle," Tony whispered. "Michelle."

Tony smiled at her. He watched as her chest rose and fell slowly. She was breathing deeply and steadily and she was fast asleep. As she relaxed, she slowly released her grip on his hand. He brushed several strands of hair from her face and kissed her again.

As much as he wanted to tell her about the baby, it was pointless to wake her up now. He would tell her later when all of the drugs had worn off. It would give him some good news to balance out the news that two of her colleagues were dead.

Tony stood by Michelle's bed and watched her sleep. He liked to watch her sleep and frequently did it I the morning before she woke up. It gave him some time to remind himself how beautiful she was and how much he loved her, as if he needed to remind himself of either of those things. It gave him time to think about all of the good times they had had together and all of their hopes and dreams for the future.

That future had been in question for the last few hours and in that time he had to force his mind away from thoughts of a life together and a family. Since he saw her and talked to her, he started to allow his mind to wander again to those happy thoughts. Quietly his brain kept reminding him that Dr. Fledderman had said that Michelle wasn't out of the woods yet. But in his heart of hearts he knew that she would be fine, that she would recover and they would move to Virginia and raise their child together.

xxxXXXxxx

"Come on, Sweetheart," Tony encouraged her. "Just a little more."

"I can't, Tony. I'm exhausted," Michelle said breathing hard from exertion.

"Yes you can, Honey. You've been through worse than this."

"He's right, Mrs. Almeida," the nurse said. "One more push and this is over."

Almost eight months to the day after being shot, Michelle was in the hospital for a very different reason.

Tony held both of her hands and Michelle gripped them tightly, a look of determination on her face. Despite months of physical therapy, Tony immediately noticed that her right hand was much stronger than her left. Tony felt her grip tighten as she pushed.

"That's it," the doctor told her. "Keep it up! Keep pushing, keep pushing! There you go!" She said as the room was filled with the baby's cries.

"You've got a beautiful little girl here," she told Tony and Michelle with a smile.

Tony wrapped his arms around Michelle and tearfully whispered, "You did it, Sweetheart. You did it."

The baby was quickly cleaned up and wrapped in a blanket and handed to her waiting parents.

"Oh God, just look at her, Tony, she's beautiful!" Michelle exclaimed.

"That's because she looks like you," he told her.

They held her for a long time, neither saying a word. They just looked at her.

Michelle smiled at him. "I can't believe she's here. She's such a miracle."

One of the nurses approached the bed and smiled at the new family. "How about if we have daddy hold that little miracle while I check your vital signs and get you cleaned up."

Michelle held the baby out to Tony who took her carefully into his protective arms. He sat down with her in a rocking chair and slowly rocked back and forth unable to take his eyes off of her. She was tiny but so perfect. He was amazed by her little nose and ears. Her rose colored lips were lightly pursed and occasionally made a little suckling motion while she slept.

All babies were miracles, but this baby seemed to her parents to be even more of a miracle than most. A year ago as they were separated by the walls of a prison, neither of them dared to dream that they would even be together today. Just eight months ago, Tony sat in a hospital waiting room 3000 miles away not sure if Michelle would live to see this day. Then after more than three weeks in the hospital, Michelle was well enough to go home. The next week Tony kissed her goodbye and left for Virginia. His new employers had been nice enough to hold the job for him and postpone his start date for a month. Michelle, still not well enough to make the trip, stayed with her parents for another month. She spent the time resting and going to physical therapy, all the while the baby's progress was carefully monitored by doctors.

As soon as she was cleared for travel, Michelle left LA for her new home in Virginia. She would never forget meeting Tony at the airport. They stood in the crowded concourse of one of the nation's busiest airports and kissed. Tony picked her up off the ground and turned her around and the hurried travelers passing by took a second to look at them and smiled.

Now as Michelle looked over at Tony as he rocked their daughter, she could see a special look on his face. It was a serene, happy look that she had only seen on a couple of previous occasions. She saw it first when she accepted his proposal of marriage and again on their wedding day as they exchanged vows. She had seen it most recently the day that he was pardoned when she shyly offered to shower with him and he knew that she was his again after their long separation.

Yes, that happy, serene look was there again today. Michelle lay back against the pillow and watched him. Grateful that they were together again and that she had survived being shot. Grateful, too, that their baby was healthy and that she had been so fortunate as to find such a special man to share her life.

_Yeah, that's right. If you couldn't tell from my other stories, I'm a sucker for a happy ending!_

_If you've read to this point, please do me a HUGE favor and review. It doesn't have to be long or elaborate. Just let me know that you're out there and that you read the story. If there was something you particularly liked or maybe something that you didn't like at all, let me know. (I accept criticism pretty well if you're nice about it.) So hit the submit review button and say hi. I accept anonymous reviews, so there is no need to log in._

_Thanks again for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate your support._


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